Polymeric metal-organic compositions



2,940,957 7 g POLYMERIC METAL-ORGANIC COMPOSITIO S Daniel F. Herman, Orange, NJ.',' assignor to National Lead Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey No Drawing. Filed May 24, 1956, Ser. No. 586,911

8 Claims. 01. zoo-78.5

This invention relates to metal-organic compositions. More specifically it relates to the formation of titaniferous organic polymers and to their method of prepapolymers of styrene, acrylates, alkyl substituted acrylates and butadiene with organo-titanium compounds. Another object is to prepare copolymers of vinyl monomers containing organo-tit-anium compounds which can bemolded and which can be used for a variety of novel applications. These and other objects will become more apparent from the following more complete description of the instant invention.

Patented June 14, 1960 ICC 2 The alkyl titanate and the unsaturated organic acid are mixed in a distilling flask, whereupon the acid radical replaces one ormore alkoxy groups of the alkyl titanate and the alcohol formed is removed by distillation. Normally the distillation is carried out at low temperatures under vacuum using a steam bath as the sou-roe of heat. An absolutepressure of about 70 mm. mercury is obtained at the start and is gradually reduced to about 1 mm. of mercury at the end of the distillation. The distillation is usually completed in a short period of time.

Most of the compounds contemplated by this invention may be made directly by the procedures described above, except those in which the acid used boils at a lower temperature than the alcohol to be removed from the alkyl titanate. In this case an indirect procedure is employed which comprises selecting an alkyl titanate which contains an alkoxy group derived from an alcohol having a. boiling point lower than the boiling point of theorganic'acid to be employed. This alkyl titanate is then mixed with the desired high boiling point alcohol.-

; This mixture isfthen heated in a distilling flask and a In its broadest aspects this invention contemplates the 1 preparation of copolymers of vinyl monomers-and an o'rgano-titanium compound, saidcompound consisting essentially of an allcoxytitanium acylate, the alkoxy group in said compound isa monohydn'qsaturated, nonsubstituted group containing from .2 to 20 carbon atoms, the acylate group is selected from the group consisting of acrylate, alkyl substitutedacrylate and maleate, said alkoxy titanium acylate containing from 2 to 3 alkoxy groups per titanium atom and containing from 1 m2 carbonyloxy groups per titanium atom,-the sum of the alkoxy and carbonyloxy groups being substantially 4 per titanium atom. By the term alkyl substituted acrylates is meant to include compounds containing from 1 to 4 carbon atoms in the alkyl group.

The alkoxytitanium acylate may be prepared in a number of ways, for example,'by reacting an alkyltitanate with an unsaturated acid.

The alkoxy group of the alkyl titanate may contain from 2 to 20 carbon atoms, and preferably is derived from a saturated, nonsubstituted monohydric alcohol. Among the preferred alcohols are propyl, butyl and amyl alcohols as well as higher alcohols such as undecyl, cetyl and eicosyl alcohols. V

The alkyl titanates may be prepared by many methods such as, for'example, the reaction of titanium tetrachloride with a monohydric alcohol. of carrying out this reaction is described in the Nelles Patent No. US. 2,187,821. A convenient way of preparing a titanate of a higher alcohol is to react a higher alcohol with an alkyl titanate of a lower alcohol through an ester interchange, wherein the lower alcohol is replaced by the higher alcohol.

The preparation of the alkoxytitanium acylate may be carried out in the'following manner:

A convenient method portion of the lower boiling point alcohol is removed. The amount of low boiling point alcohol removed is equivalent to the amount of'high boiling point alcohol added. The amount of high boiling point alcohol added may vary from 2 to 3 moles per mole of titanium depending upon the type of final titanate desired. This, therefore, produces a mixed titanate containing both'of the alkoxy groups.

cohol is removedby distillation, thus producing an alkoxy titanium acylate containing an alkoxy group or grQ lps' derived from a high boiling point alcohol and an acylate group or groups derived froma low boiling point acid.

The following examples are presented to illustrate both.

the preparation of various alkoxy titanium acylate compositions and the copolymers formed therefrom:

- EXAMPLE 1' Preparation of Iributoxytitanium monomethacrylata 245 parts of butyl titanate were mixed with 62 parts of methacrylic acid in a distilling flask and the distillation was carried out at 37 C. at less than 1 mm. pressure. 44.3 parts of butyl alcohol were removed during the distillation process. 257 parts of a fluid orange liquid were obtained'which contained 21.4% titanium: calculated as TiO which is-substantially equal to. the.

theoretical amount to form tributoxytitanium monomethacrylate. The viscosity of the solution was centipoises and the density was 1.0439 at 26 C. The

liquid product was soluble in dioxane, petroleum ether,

copolymerized with methyl methacrylate to form a synthetic resin. The synthetic resin was prepared by mixing 50 parts of tributoxytitanium monomethacrylate with 50 parts of methyl methacrylate in the presence of 0.1% benzoyl peroxide and heating to C. for 4 hours to form the synthetic resin. The synthetic resin was a soft-j rubbery-like amber colored solid material, which is stable and resistant to exposure to moistur EXAMPLE 2 Preparation of dibzttoxytitanium dimethacrylate 124 parts of methacrylic acid were added to 245 parts of butyl titanate and the distillation was carried out according to the procedure described in Example 1. 244

The mixed titanate produced is then. mixed with the low boiling point organic acid, the mix-. ture is heated and the remaining low boiling point al-' i V P? 909";

parts of a light yellw colored liquid were containing 22.3% titanium, calculated asTiO r The product was soluble in benzene, carbon tetrachloride, butyl alcohol, and acetone copolynierfw prepared by reacting 50 parts of (iibutoxytitanium dimethacryla {:50 Pi I i' y ni in the-presence of 0.1% 'benzoyl' peroxide heating i lid material was} obtained. 'Ih copo1ym'er -wastlied'nioldedat 1409f at 90 i 65 foif-4- hours. "A" hard ambe 'C. under l0,0'00"lbs,' per sq; injpres sufe'to obtain a disc.

The disc iwasunatfected moisture; The dielectric} propcrtieswere measured at 1: 3;. ,and the following;

i The dielectric'constantiwas 3 .33" with a'dissipation factor'of 0.0089; 1

'l'he dibutoxytitanium dimeth acrylate was also used asi across linking agent in thepolymerization of ,butadiene.

7.5 parts :of butadiene were mixed withf05 part of dibutoxytitariium dimethacrylate,:35;parts t5iue and- .o.04*

'partfbenzoyl peroxide. 1 The mixture was heated at 90i C; for -7l hours to forma firm yellowgelq :The toluene;

was removed by distillationunderf acuumiand a -clea'r,

a svmls ha a q ene .mfhyl a acid and the distillation out -at 30 C; maintaining the pressure below of-mer cury. The distillation was continued for 1 hour. 198

parts of an amber colored liquid containing 15.2%

. titanium, oalculatedas 110,,- was obtained. The liquid was soluble'in benzene, carbon tetrachloride, petroleum ether, dioxane and butyl' alcohol. It was insoluble in :methy1 .-a h9 and a m- 14 pr c p ate in acetone.

, unique properties since they contain organo-titanium comtough, rubber, product was dbtainedi rubber prod-1 a high molecular weight cross-linking elements.

7. X M E 3' 1 Preparation of diblitorytildhi'um mor'i'omaleate 170 parts of butyl titanate weremixed with .58 parts of maleic acid in a distilling flask and the mixture was uct was insoluble'in organic solventsthereby indicating heated to 40 C. under vacuum and the distillation was 7.

carried out at 3 Hg. 71 parts of butyl alcohol were liberated during the distillation. polymeric solidified mass were obtained which analyzed 25.6% titanium, calculated as. TiO The product was soluble in butanol, benzene and carbon tetrachloride}, 'dio'xane, toluene, methanol and gaye a milky white solu tion in both acetic acid and acetone. IThe M.W. deterby cryoscopicrnethodusing benzene as a 'solye'nt was2230, containing approximately 7, dibutoxytitaniumi v The material is polymeric since the maleate group is dicarboxylic and therefore is capableof linking with. two titanium atoms.

maleate units per molecule.

This mass "which contains a mal'eate group may be do- 158 parts of a yellow] polymerized withstyrene to form thermoplastic materials.

"In order. to prepare i-the thermoplastic materials, partsioi dibutoxytitanium monorrialeate were mixed with l 50 parts of styrene in the presence'of. 0.1% benzoyl peroxide and heated at 90 Chfor 4 hours toform a copolymer which produced a hard, amber'colored solid material. The copolymer was then heated at 140 C. and

compressed at 10,000 lbs. per sq. in. pressure to obtain' The product washard' and clear' a molded product. and possessed a uniform appearance. It'was resistant upon exposure to moisture.

EXAMPLE4- I I Preparation of'diundecoxytitanium diacrylate 137.5 parts of undecyl alcoholwere added to l36lpa'rt s of butyl-titariate'in order to prepare diundecoxydibutoxytitanium. The reaction was' carried out according to the procedure described in Example 1 and 213 parts of a lig'htc'olored liquid' containing' l4.7% titanium, calculated as TiO- {was obtained; liquid'was analyzed and found to be equal to the formula of diundecoxydimonomer is methyl methacrylate. V I e r 8. Composition according'to claim '1" in which the "..n 10n0me1 'isstyrene. I r

pounds. These copolymers may be molded at moderate tempe atures-midway possess uiiusual dielectric proper; tiesfgood' impact'r'e'sist'ancand high tensile strength; 1

"While thisint 'ention has been described and illustrated by the examples shown, it is not intended to be'strictly theret oand'bther modifications and variations. may be employed "withinQ the scope of the following Iclaimf A resinous c opolymer of 'a monomer selected from I the group consistingof butadiene, methyl acrylate, methyl methacryl-ate and sytrene and a titanium organic compound, said compound consisting essentially of an alkoxytitanium acylate, the alkoxy'in said compound contains; from 2 .to 20 carbon atoms, the acylate group is selected frofrnthe group consisting' of acrylate, 'alkyl substituted acrylate and -maleate, said alkoxytitanium' acylate cont aining from Z- to 3 alkoxy'groups per titanium' atom and-containing"frpm"-1'toj 2 carbonyloxy groups. per titanium atom and attached to said-titanium atom," the sum of the alk'o'xy and, saidcarbonyloxy groupsbeing;

substantially4 per titanium atom; V

2. Composition according to claim 1 in" which th'ej titanium rg anic compound is allroxytitanium meth-" V BwGQmposition Eccor'ding to 1 inwhichgthe" titanium organieco'rnpound is alkoxytitaniuin" acrylate. 4.iCom'positior'i' aecordingfto 13in which the i s mm i "a fi f fimme e 't f 5i Ooi'npositi'o rr' a c'cording to claim 11in which thef monomer 'is butadieneE* 7. Composition accord' to claiml References Cited fileof patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Langkam-merer Aug. 19, 1941 2,258,718 Rothrdck Oct. 14 1941, 2,273, 91 -Pollacl Feb. 24, 1942 2,397,287 Ostberg V j M ar.26, 1946 2,489,651 Langkammerer: Nov. 29, 1949 2,621,193- Lang kammerer Dec. 9, 1952 I OTHEKREVFERENCESDQ'V, I

rage. Handbook of Chemistry, 7th eds; 1950 pages butoxytitanium.

product was thenmixed 58.2 58-59.

r I e i which i the- 

1. A REINSOUS COPOLYMER OF A MONOMER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF BUTADIENE, METHYL ACRYLATE, METHYL METHACRYLATE AND SYTRENE AND A TITANIUM ORGANIC COMPOUND, SAID COMPOUND CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF AN ALKOXYTITANIUM ACYLATE, THE ALKOXY IN SAID COMPOUND CONTAINS FROM 2 TO 20 CARBON ATOMS, THE ACYLATE GROUP IS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ACRYLATE, ALKYL SUBSTITUTED ACRYLATE AND MALEATE, SAID ALKOXYTITANIUM ACYLATE CONTAINING FROM 2 TO 3 ALKOXY GROUPS PER TITANIUM ATOM AND CONTAINING FROM 1 TO 2 CARBONYLOXY GROUPS PER TITANIUM ATOM AND ATTACHED TO SAID TITANIUM ATOM, THE SUM OF THE ALKOXY AND SAID CARBONYLOXY GROUPS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY 4 PER TITANIUM ATOM. 